Leamon Green
As I wiped an etching in preparation to print, my thoughts turned back to the initial idea for the image. A few years ago while participating on a Tanzania Study Abroad trip we were in Zanzibar at sunset. Our group was sitting on a balcony of a restaurant enjoying live one of those scenes you see on the History channel. The view was a sunset on the Indian Ocean as fishermen were leaving port or returning with their daily catch. What caught my eye however was the activity on shore. Kids playing soccer, families out for a walk, athletes going through a workout routine, and a group of three young men in conversation. Their poses immediately reminded me of the famous “Luncheon on the Grass” by Manet. That artwork is an acknowledgment of western art history and simultaneously a comment on the contemporary world of the artist.
Creation of my imagery takes a similar path. I take a lot of reference photos, thanks to digital cameras and inexpensive SD cards. I then will do sketches and eventually develop a composition. Along the way references to art history, cultural history, and contemporary issues become points of emphasis.
LEAMON GREEN: RECENT WORK: An Exploration of Cultural Identity at Beeville Art Museum. Dates: May - July 11, 2020.
Take a 5-minute video tour of PrintMatters Board Emeritus, Leamon Green’s solo exhibition at the Beeville Art Museum. The art museum is located at 401 E Fannin St, Beeville, TX 78102 just one hour north of Corpus Christi, TX. Thank you to our friends at Glasstire for the fantastic video.
Images from Left to Right
Africa House View, etching, 16 x 24 inches, 2020
Rope Hands, linoleum, 24 x 12 inches, 2019
On Upward Isabel, acrylic and silkscreen, 30 x 22 inches, 2019
Mamy Wata Blue, relief, 15 x 22 inches, 2017
Chamwino Waiting, lithograph, 13 x 19 inches, 2017
Mamy Wata and Refugees, woodcut, 36 x 60 inches, 2017